Substructure of interchangeable building components with overlying carriageway



Oct. 16, 1962 A HEDSTROM 3,058,132

SUBSTRUCTURE 0F INTERCHANGEABLE BUILDING COMPONENTS WITH OVERLYING CARRIAGEWAY Filed Aug. 14, 1958' 2 Sheets-Sheet l E E M m .L N m M O 1 m m a k Y M at k NGR v Q 1 W m FL 0 m rL O MGM a w wt Em w k /fiy N 3t w Unite 3,058,132 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 SUBSTRUCTURE F INTERCHANGEABLE BUILD- ING COIVHONENTS WITH OVERLYIN G CAR- RIAGEWAY Ake Hedstriirn, Furusundsgatan 14, Stockholm, Sweden Filed Aug. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 755,008 Claims priority, application Sweden Aug. 15, 1957 3 Claims. (Ci. 1413) Substructures consisting of interchangeable building components are often formed of longitudinal load-carrying members of, for example, lattice girders with underlying carriageway between them. Such structures can be used for heavy loads and large spans in view of the possibility of increasing the number of longitudinal loadcarrying members breadthwise and also of increasing their height to meet the requirements of greater load or span.

If the substructure consists of longitudinal load-carrying members forming a direct carriageway for vehicles, the structure will be more economical in weight since a separate carriageway will not be needed. Since it is often impossible to reinforce such structures by increasing the height of the longitudinalload-carrying members, their use is limited to moderate spans and loads. In order that the longitudinal load-carrying members shall not be too heavy and cumbersome, transverse members are required which provide coordination between the longitudinal members. The arrangement of these transverse members is usually extremely complicated, since the upper side of the structure must be free of transverse members, to allow for the carriageway, while the underside, too, must generally be free in order to allow the structure to be rolled out during erection, which renders the use of underlying transverse members impossible.

If the transverse members are arranged in the same plane as the longitudinal load-carrying members, the transverse members must either be divided up to form connecting members between the longitudinal members or must pass through and fit into recesses in the longitudinal members. In the former case the attachment of the transverse members to the longitudinal members is diflicult since the free space between the latter is limited. Should such a possibility nevertheless exist, a comparatively large number of fastening devices will be required, with complicated couplings, which complicates and delays the erection of the substructure and increases its weight. In the latter case, too, difliculties arise in the attachment of the transverse members to the longitudinal members in view of the limited space between the latter. In order to achieve coordination between the longitudinal members, moreover, the recesses in them for the transverse members must be made with great precision and to narrow tolerances which complicates and adds to the cost of the longitudinal members.

According to the present invention, which relates to a substructure consisting of longitudinal load-carrying members and transverse members in the same plane, coordination is provided between the longitudinal members without the aforesaid difficulties in coupling of the transverse members to them arising, and without other complications in respect to the substructure.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing. In FIG. 1 is shown a substructure in cross-section consisting of longitudinal load-carrying members and transverse members in the same plane. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the same structure schematically from above and from the side. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a longitudinal load-carrying member from the side and in crosssection. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the transverse member from above and from the side, and FIG. 8 shows the transverse member in cross-section. FIG. 9 shows a coupling between longitudinal and transverse members. FIG. 10 shows the end of a transverse member with an extension piece. FIGS. 11-15 show substructures with 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 longitudinal members respectively.

The longitudinal members are formed with tongues 4 at one end and claws 5 at the other. For the end-to-end connection of two longitudinal members 1, the tongues 4 of one member are fitted into the claws 5 of the next. The transverse member 2 can be freely inserted from the side or, before the longitudinal members are joined together, can be fitted direct into the free space between the inner portions of the claws 5. With the headed coupling device 3, the centre portion of which may consist of a light metal tube while its guiding end portions are of steel, the longitudinal members are tied together and the transverse member is tied to the longitudinal members by the fact that the tongues and claws and the transverse member are provided with holes through which the coupling device 3 passes. If the tongues, claws and transverse members are of light metal, the holes can be reinforced by bushings. The advantage of this arrangement is that coordination is obtained between all longitudinal members since the transverse members fit into them at the points at which the longitudinal members must be accurately shaped in order to achieve a satisfactory coupling, while at the same time the coupling between longitudinal and transverse members is effected with a minimum of coupling pieces.

Since the substructure, in the case of bridges carrying principally single-axled or multi-axled vehicles, is usually loaded, breadthways, less heavily in its centre section than at the sides, it is possible to form the centre section of V-beams 6 and 7 separated from the longitudinal mem bers and freely or continuously suspended on the trans verse members, thanks to the fact that the upper surfaces of the longitudinal load-carrying members and transverse members lie in different horizontal planes.

No special spacing pieces need be arranged laterally between the longitudinal members since their distances from one another are fixed by their coupling to the transverse members.

The lateral staying of the substructure can be effected with wind stays 8 attached in cut-outs 9 in the transverse members, between which they cross the open centre section.

Substructures of varying strength are obtainable by combining different numbers of longitudinal members and V- beams. The possibilities of variation are obtained either by adapting the lengths of the transverse members from the outset in such a way that the transverse members can be supplied with a sufficient number of coupling holes 10 or by fitting extension pieces 11 and 12 to them. FIG. 10 shows how the extension pieces are coupled to the transverse members with coupling pins 13.

By means of this invention it is possible to reinforce the substructure without dismantling it, which increases the usability of the materiel (equipment).

The use of light metal for all components except the end portions of the coupling devices 3 provides a materiel which, both owing to the small number of components and to their low weight, is admirably suited for the building of temporary bridges both on solid and floating sup ports, in the building of which small transportation volume and high rate of building are important factors. The possibility of employing the same materiel for bridges of different carrying capacities means that the amount of materiel used need not be greater than required by the class of trafiic, so that the materiel is extremely economical in weight.

The invention is open to modifications within the scope of the claims that follow.

What I claim is:

1. A bridge substructure for supporting vehicle traffic or the like comprising two mutually parallel, spaced, vertically extending beams, each of said beams comprising at least two end-to-end, longitudinally aligned members, adjacent ends of said members of each of said beams including a pair of vertically spaced connecting means comprising longitudinally extending, interdigitated portions including vertically disposed, aligned apertures, the adjacent ends of each of said members being longitudinally spaced by said pairs of connecting means and forming a transverse opening between the adjacent ends and said connecting means, said transverse openings in said beams being aligned, a transverse member extending through and beyond said openings between said connecting means, said transverse member including at least two vertically disposed, longitudinally spaced openings inwardly of and adjacent opposite ends thereof, each of said vertically disposed openings being in alignment with said apertures in each pair of connecting means with said transverse member resting on the lower connecting means of the respective beams, and connecting pins removably received in the vertically aligned apertures and openings in said connecting means and transverse member respectively for maintaining the bridge substructure in assembled relation.

2. The structure of claim 1; said interdigitated portions 4 comprising spaced pairs of bifurcated claws and tongues extending therebetween.

3. The structure of claim l; said transverse member including additionally vertically extending openings longitudinally spaced from those through which said connecting pins extend, and a second pair of beams similar to those first mentioned and disposed outwardly of and adjacent those first mentioned and through which said transverse member extends, and second connecting pins similar to those first mentioned and retaining said second pair of beams in assembled relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,887 Brochocki Feb. 14, 1888 460,856 Ferguson Oct. 6, 1891 1,564,715 Russell Dec. 8, 1925 1,625,612 Jensen Apr. 19, 1927 1,958,296 Crow May 8, 1934 2,339,098 Nagin Jan. 11, 1944 2,559,741 Wachsmann July 10, 1951 2,647,270 Frost Aug. 4, 1953 2,744,590 Butts May 8, 1956 2,749,712 Gerlach June 12, 1956 2,764,107 Niswonger et al Sept. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 91,860 Germany June 4, 1897 464,393 Italy June 30, 1951 

